Pain Management Question, please help.

[WildBerndt]

Hey everyone. It has been a minute since I have been on here. I had another hydrodistention done in July, and I have been reffered to a Pain Management specialist as of September. I am having serious issues with this Doctor. First, I am treated like a drug addict. I can understand the drug tests, but they have guards at the door and they are completely rude and uncaring of any problems I might be having. I get herded in, and herded out and just handed a perscription. No answers, no ideas.

I am seriously considering changing doctors, I called on friday when I realized that she had given me a 22 day supply of meds, and my appointment wasn't for another week and a half. So I called to see if I could come in early so that I wouldn't run out, and they basically told me that there was NO way, and that the doctor was on vacation all next week and there was nothing they could do for me

I am having a flare up at the moment and have run out of medication, would it be ok to go to the emergency room, and talk to the doctor there, tell them what is happening, and perhaps he could give me enough meds to get to my next appointment? I have never dealt with anything like this, but I just DON'T want to appear like a drug seeker. And I'm not even sure I want to go back to this other doc anyways, I really dislike her and her whole office. I just don't want to give off the wrong impression. . . .

Can anyone give me some advice as to what I should do? I am hurting really badly and really upset that I have no way to get out of pain. And advice would be very helpful, thanks!
Anjulie

[snowgirl]

I understand how you feel completely. I go to pain clinic- call it prison clinic
My pain md is very conservative- I get like most pain clinics 30 pills for 30 days. Never one pill extra. I lost one on floor and mad lady looking for it as they won't give me more.
Office staff at my pain clinic is great. The front desk awesome. The RN's I worked with two of them at hosp and very supportive
My pain md does NOT know IC and has told me. He won't give me any break through meds which is tough but one ultram a day.
I was getting b-o' s supp and that helped for bad days but my insurance won't pay for them and they cost 100 bucks a box
For me small town only one other pain clinic I stay here- my pain psychologist is also in this office
I would see if another pain clinic in your area? how can you make it on only 21 pills a refill. I feel bad for you. Check it out look for another clinic- go for consult.
I do leave not feeling like you but like I said my pain md very conservative. I worked with him in recovery room like 10 yrs together and that is just his personality.
Hang in there - yes check out other clinics. second opinion never hurts my friend- you are your own pain advocate. Vicky

[Mothergoose]

It sounds really crappy to be in your position, but remember it is not you or your behavoirs, it is the behaviors of others before you who abuse the system so they treat us all like druggies. Ignore the guards they are there for your protection as much as the clinics, you don't want to be there if someone should go off the deep end with out them there. I am sure you know now to go over your rx before leaving the office as to how many days it is for and when your next app will be.

Whether it was an over site or on purpose by the Dr. not writting the script for enough to last is not acceptable, but if you don't leave until she verabally tells you what she is writting the script for hopefully this will not happen again to you.

It is also just a fact of life that lots of people will judge people if they know you are being treated with pain meds for what ever reason, just ignor these people you don't need to justify yourself to any of them unless it is a Dr. you are wanting to get meds from.

Sorry you are in this position I hope you figure something out to help in the mean time. MG

[WildBerndt]

Hey everyone, thanks for the replies. I ended up going to the er, thedoc was really nice, and didn't treat me like anything was wrong. I took the bottle my pain meds came in up to him, to show him that they really did run out. And he gave me a few and told me to try to get in to see my PCP since I couldn't get in at the pain managament office.

So I went to my primary care doctor, and was told that I was trying to scam him for drugs.

I first started talking to him about finding a different pain management doctor because I really don't like this doctor, or the nursing staff there. They are completely uncaring and rude. So he tells me that I have probably done something to the doctor to make her not want to treat me anymore and THAT'S why I didn't want to go back. UGH. So he told me then that my urologist had called him and told him that I didn't have any reason to be having such bad bladder pain, and that he thought I was making it up. WHAAAAT? He preformed 2 surgeries and twice diagnosed me with IC. I was also diagnosed with endometriosis at the same time and that also causes horrible abdominal pain. SO I asked him why the hell the uro did those surgeries for something that I made up? And why did he refer me to a PM if they all thought I was scamming them for drugs?

SO I think after yelling at him, he finally got the point that I was not happy with the treatment I got from this doctor, and didn't want to be in a hopeless situation. I want to find a doc that will try different options, instead of JUST meds. I can't be on these meds forever, I want my life back!!! I am starting to realize that although I am not trying to scam anyone, I am somewhat dependant on them. . . .and I don't like that. They are an easy way out, an easy way to escape what you are feeling. But I really want to FIX the problem somehow, not just be doomed to a lifetime of addictive meds and mean doctors who call you an addict and try and boot you out of the office for something that THEY gave you in the first place!!!

And this pain doc I'm going to see, she gave me percocet the first time and I went back and asked for something different (it gave me horrible heartburn) and she tried to give me morphine!!! Now what kind of drug seeker would turn down a script for 90 morphine?!?!?! I asked her for just a higher dose of hydrocodone, and she seemed surprised but she gave it to me. It works for me, so I don't feel that I need anything higher or stronger than that right now. But really, does that seem like drug seeking behavior, or just honesty? I have also passed every drug test with FLYING colors, I might add. So this doc has NO reason to dislike me, and she treats me pretty well. . . .she is just super flighty and forgers thigns as soon as she walks in the room. I have to remind her of everything. But it is her staff and nurses I can't stand. GRRRR.

Sorry for the rant everyone, just wanted to get it off my chest. It upset me so badly, and I will NEVER go back to see that doc again. . . . I don't care if he took back what he said at the end, he still said it. I'll go to my PM and try to work things out with her, tell her what kind of treatment I want. Hopefully she will listen. And I will def check my scipt next time I leave, and make sure she gives me a full month!

Anjulie

[Mothergoose]

Sorry you are still having such a hart time with this issue.
MG

[WildBerndt]

Thank you. I am hoping that it gets better, and I am hoping that this pain doctor will come through for me and come up with some different treatments, other than just DMSO and pain meds, which is ALL my uro would do. I had done a lot of research into the different treatments, and he said he didn't do anything else, just those instills. So hopefully I can get this doc to talk to me, and tell me some ideas that she has, and what is effective for treating IC, other than tons and tons of meds.

[OllieR]

I have similar issues. I hate how even after seeing them for awhile you are still a "drug addict." All the time I ask what else I can do to control my pain and make it very clear I'm not asking for more narcotics. I say I know they can only give me so many narcotics and I want to know more ideas for controlling the pain I have when the narcotics are not enough (any non-narcotic pain meds?, otc stuff?, etc). Then she just goes into this lecture about how I'm not getting any more narcotics, etc. ARGH!

Another favorite - my dr. told me I should be happy with the management I get because most IC patients don't go to pain management and just suffer through it. So many issues with this statement. First, how could you even know that? Did you take a survey of everyone with IC and if they said they never wanted to go to pain management? Second, why do I have to suffer because according to you everyone else chooses not to come to pain management? I'm pretty sure most (if not all) IC patients with pain would come to pain management if they could.

[Mothergoose]

There is just noway getting around ignorant people. Hopefully someday people will have some sort of understanding of what we go through.
MG